Cardiac tumours: diagnosis and management

Clinical symptoms and signs are often determined by location of the tumour rather than its histologic type. [...]the clinical significance of a 'benign' tumour may be just as important as a 'malignant' type. Benign tumours may be locally invasive, impairing myocardial contractility or causing valve dysfunction, and thus presenting with heart failure or resulting in systemic or pulmonary embolism, conduction system disease or fatal arrhythmias. Table 1 Cardiac masses Neoplastic - - Primary Secondary Non-neoplastic Other Benign Myxoma PFE * Lipoma Malignant Sarcoma Lymphoma Direct extension Breast Lung Oesophagus Mediastinal tumour Haematogenous Melanoma Lung Breast Genitourinary Gastrointestinal Venous Renal Adrenal Thyroid Lung Hepatoma Lymphatic Lymphoma Leukaemia Hamartomas Rhabdomyoma Fibroma PFE * Age-related growths Lipomatous hypertrophy Reactive proliferation Llambl's excrescence PFE [dagger] Thrombus Vegetation CAT Normal structure Image artefact PFE arising de-novo.